Former Gunners and Reds midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ‘s one interview has recently gone viral ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League clash against Liverpool on Sunday. The Gunners will host the game at the Emirates. And no doubt it will be one of the toughest game for both the sides in the league.
Both the teams are coming into the fixture after winning their last game in the UCL in a similar 1-0 score line. But the Reds are in superb form since the start of the new season under Arne Slot. Who has just lost 1 out of the 12 matches he have managed so far.
On the other hand, Arsenal despite starting the season on a high note, have fumbled in the way after going through a lot of injury problems. They will be looking forward to win the game against the Reds to minimize the point gap between them.
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s stay at Arsenal and Liverpool
English midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain joined the Gunners academy from his childhood side Southampton back in 2011. He joined as an 17 year old teenager with a lot of potential. After three years he became a regular starter at the Emirates stadium. Alex stayed at North London till 2017 before managing a move to the Merseyside.
In Liverpool Alex was used as a 2nd choice option to replace the likes of Hendeson and Fabinho in the 2nd half. However, Klopp gave him enough minutes in the less important league and domestic cup fixtures to satisfy his needs. Alex was a important squad player behind Liverpool’s European success in 2018-19 season. And also in 2019-20 Premier League title winning campaign after 30 years.
But after falling down the pecking order of new signings, Alex finally decided to leave England. And now he is playing for the Turkish giants Beşiktaş since last season. At the age of 31, he is doing enjoying his football and helping his side to win games.
Despite of winning three FA cup titles and community shields at the North London club, Alex believes there was something off with the Gunners. During his stay at the London top flight, the highest Arsenal managed to finish at the league was in 2015-16 when they finished at the 2nd place under Leicester.
Alex points out the difference between Arsenal and Liverpool
In a recent interview with the Athletic last year, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain pointed out where the Gunners lacked at, while Liverpool were one of the best sides in world football. He believed the difference between the mentalities were the factor.
“At Arsenal, we always went into those big games thinking, ‘This is going to be really tough’ but I don’t know why, at Liverpool, the big games, we just knew we were going to win.”
Alex also mentioned that, at Liverpool, even if they played bad in a phase, the team was always focused on winning. He further mentioned,
“That was the biggest difference at Liverpool. Where, even in the first season when we were a bit of an unknown entity, there was this unbelievable complete and utter focus. There was nothing else happening but us winning the game.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain believed that they had a wonderful squad at Arsenal. They had ‘unbelievable quality’ and had everything that you need football-wise. But they still didn’t manage to win big titles. Alex stated that maybe it was because they lacked that ‘belief’, ‘toughness’ & ‘Ruthlessness’.
However, things have now changed at the Gunners camp. Ever since Arteta took charge of the side, the hunger is visible. They came very close twice of winning the league in the last couple of seasons. And maybe this is the year when they break all the odds.
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